ACF 1556: “CYBERPOP OVERLOAD” at 2012 J-POP Summit Festival

 THE BAY AREA GETS ITS DANCE GROOVE ON

TO CELEBRATE “CYBERPOP OVERLOAD”

AT THE 2012 J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL

Annual Weekend-Long S.F. Pop Culture Celebration In August

To Present Video Game-Inspired Artists And DJs
Including Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars,
SpaceKraft, DJ Amaya, and Vex Mode

NEW PEOPLE invites the Bay Area to get its dance groove on at this year’s 2012 J-POP Summit Festival as the company continues to expand the event’s roster of live programming.

Celebrating the Festival’s theme of “Cyberpop Overload,” a just-announced full slate of video game-inspired artists and DJs will feature mesmerizing and danceable sets from Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars, SpaceKraft, DJ Amaya and Vex Mode. More performers and artists will be announced very soon!

The annual J-POP Summit Festival, now in its fourth year and presented in association with the Japantown Merchants Association, will be held across San Francisco’s Japantown district on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 26th.

The event is FREE to attend (although some individual attractions charge a modest entrance fee). The live musical performances will take place on the main stage of Japantown’s spacious Peace Plaza, located across the street from the NEW PEOPLE venue which is at 1746 Post St. Additional information about the J-Pop Summit Festival is available at J-Pop.com. Dates and performance schedule is subject to change.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS – Saturday, August 25th

Random Encounters is the wily otaku team responsible for producing comedic musical numbers based on popular video games. Their show-tune-inspired shorts have developed a massive online following and have caught the attention of game developers at Nintendo, Namco and Electronic Arts. The group’s first music video, inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, won them a trip to Tokyo and the interest of Sega of America, who has become a recurring ally in their quest to celebrate gaming as musically – and humorously – as possible! More information on Random Encounters is available at: http://www.facebook.com/GameMusicals

The Glowing Stars

THE GLOWING STARS – Saturday, August 25th

There are many chiptune artists, but not a lot of chiptune bands. The Glowing Stars, which consists of guitarist/vocalist Lizzie Cuevas, drummer Game Boy, and synth programmer Matt Payne, combine the clicky waveforms and perfect arpeggios of 8-bit processors with the fury of live drums and distorted guitars. Influenced as much by Frank Zappa and Freddie Mercury as Mega Man and Metroid, the band’s wistfully emotional lyrics are more boy-meets-girl than Game-Boy-meets-boss. With customized game hardware sharing the stage with 100-watt half-stacks, The Glowing Stars are half Weezer, half Wario and utterly unique.  More information is available at: http://www.facebook.com/theglowingstars

SPACEKRAFT – Saturday, August 25th

SpacEKrafT is a performance group that re-creates a futuristic interactive travel environment complete with flight attendants, ground crew, video projections, sound chairs, interactive music equipment, personality feedback station and interactive art. The crew of SpacEKrafT also interacts and instructs the persons inside the exhibit. More information on SpaceKraft is available at: www.myspacekraft.com

DJ Amaya

DJ AMAYA – Sunday, August 26th

DJ Amaya has been DJing and producing his own original tracks and remixes since 2002. He is known best for his underground remixes of the Japanese superstar Ayumi Hamasaki and pop idol group AKB48 as well as a variety of Vocaloid music. DJ Amaya’s podcast “Hitsuzen Radio” features the best in Japanese remixes, and dance music from around the world. More information on DJ Amaya is available at: www.djamaya.com

VEX MODE – Sunday, August 26th

Vex Mode is a DJ and musical artist who started producing video game music in 2005 under the name David Nereus. Vex Mode will join the 2012 J-POP Summit with the pulsing beats of Japanese Rave music (J-Core) remixes to kick off the festival! More information on Vex Mode is available at: http://www.facebook.com/vexmode

“Japan has long been a global Mecca for electronic entertainment and innovation and we’re very excited to welcome an array of musicians, DJs, and artists that are inspired by Japanese pop culture in some way or another,” says Seiji Horibuchi, the President/CEO of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. and Co-Chairman of the J-POP Summit Festival Committee. “This year we will present one of our most robust music line-ups yet, with a variety of rock, pop and electronic artists all set to perform. We invite music fans of all stripes to enjoy a ‘Cyberpop Overload” and savor a truly dynamic weekend that will be the 2012 J-POP Summit Festival.”

A variety of other pop-inspired attractions including fashion shows, theatrical film premieres,  live art performances, celebrity appearances, and mini-concerts by some of Japan’s hottest bands are planned for the 2012 J-POP Summit both inside the NEW PEOPLE complex, and outdoors at the adjacent Peace Plaza. Innovative artists from Japan will join a variety of product merchants and food vendors from the Bay Area to offer an array of pop-inspired products and delicacies for sale in open air displays on both sides of Post Street, the main Japantown thoroughfare.

NEW PEOPLE opened in 2009 and has become a unique must-see attraction of San Francisco’s cultural landscape. The 20,000 square foot contemporary venue features the latest examples Japanese popular culture expressed though film, art, fashion, and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events. NEW PEOPLE is located at 1746 Post Street in the city’s Japantown.